Kabbalah Library

18. Solomon said, “For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same.” All the words of King Solomon are blocked from the degrees of Hochma. Hence, we should examine this verse, since there is an opening here for those without faith.

19. There is certainly an opening here for non-believers, and we should know and examine it.

21. This verse that Solomon said, he did not speak from his own mind, as with the rest of the things he said. Rather, he reiterated the words that fools of the world say, that “what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same.” The fools, who do not know and do not observe with wisdom, say that this world moves ‎by chance, and the Creator does not watch over them. Rather, “what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same.”

22. When Solomon looked at those fools who say this, he called them ‎‎“beasts,” for they are truly making themselves into beasts by saying these words. The verse before it proves, as it is written, “I said to myself concerning people, ‘God sorts them and to see that they are beasts to themselves.’”

“I said to myself,” and contemplated looking. At what? Concerning people, at the words of folly, that they say that ‎the world moves by chance. “God sorts them,” meaning God has sorted them out so they would be alone and would not connect ‎to other people who have faith.

“To see that they are beasts to themselves,” to see that those with faith will see about them that they are truly beasts, whose mind is as that of beasts. “They are to them,” to themselves,” so they do not bring this foolish view to those ‎with faith. Hence, they are to themselves, and not to others.

What is their view? The verse ends about that, “For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same.” Damned be those beasts, those fools, those faithless, woe to them and woe to ‎their souls; it would be better if they did not come to the world.

23. What did Solomon reply to them? The verse that follows it refers to it, and says, “Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, if it goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, if it goes down to the earth?” “Who knows” are those fools who do not know the glory of the upper king, and do not look in the Torah. “The spirit of man, if it goes upward,” to a high place, the place of glory, a holy place, to be nourished by the upper light, the light of the holy king, to be bundled in the bundle of the living, and to be present before the holy king, a complete offering. This is the meaning of what is written, “if it goes upward.”

24. “And the spirit of the beast, if it goes down to the earth.” It is not the same place where all the people, of which it is written, “[God] has made the man in the image of God,” and as it is written, “The Lord’s candle is man’s soul.”

How is it said that those fools who have no faith, and one spirit to all, damned be they? It is written about them, “They will be as chaff before the wind, and the angel of the Lord rejects.” These will stay in Hell, in those bottom degrees, and will not rise from there for many generations. It is written about them, “Sins will cease from the earth, and the wicked will be no more; bless the Lord, my soul, Halleluiah.”

25. Was Solomon wondering only about that? After all, in another place, he said, “This is the worst of all that is done under the sun, that the same happens to all.” “This is the worst” is one who spills semen for nothing and corrupts his way, for his dwelling place is not with the Creator, nor will he have a part in the next world, as it is written, “For You are not a God who desires wickedness; evil shall not dwell with You.” He said about this, “This is the worst,” that he will not have a dwelling place above.

“For the same happens to all, and also, the hearts of people are full of evil and wantonness. They are faithless, and they have no part in the Creator, or in those faithful ones, not in this world and not in the next world, as it is written, “And after him, to the dead.”

26. The Creator warns the people of the world and said, “Therefore, choose life, that you may live,” meaning the life of that world. Those wicked, faithless ones say, “But for him who connects to all the living, there is confidence.” Even if one chooses that world, as he says, it is nothing, for it has been handed down to us, “to all the living, there is confidence,” life in this world.

And it has been handed down to them, as it is written, “a living dog is better than a dead lion,” and how will we have life in that world? Hence, it is certainly bad, they will not dwell with the upper king, and they will have no part in him.

Although you can find supports to all these verses, meaning interpretations to the friends on other matters, but of course Solomon came to find out about those faithless wicked ones, who have no part in the Creator in this world and in the next world.

27. King Solomon said, “Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.” Because the spies were faithless and unfaithful messengers are doomed in this world and in the next world.

29. Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, was a Canaanite, as it is written, “Canaan, scales of deceit are in his hands.” It is written about Canaan, “Cursed be Canaan, he will be a servant of servants to his brothers.” But because he was a faithful messenger, it is written about him, “Come, the Lord’s blessed one,” truly the Lord’s blessed one. This is why it was written so in the Torah, since he emerged from that curse of Canaan and was blessed. And not only did he emerge from the curse, he was blessed with the name of the Creator, and an angel came and put it into Lavan’s mouth to call him “the Lord’s blessed one.”